


Champagne

by thegirl20



Series: Tonight I wanna do some drinkin' (Jane/Maura) [7]
Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-29
Updated: 2012-12-29
Packaged: 2017-11-22 20:32:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/614045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirl20/pseuds/thegirl20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maura's birthday is coming up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It all started on a Friday night. Work was relatively quiet, and after a few drinks at the Robber, Jane and Maura had come back to Maura’s place and ended up lying on the couch with the TV on and Chinese food cartons littering the coffee table. Jane pressed a kiss against Maura’s curls, smiling into her hair as she shifted; trying to get closer even though she was already practically lying on top of Jane. Lips brushed Jane’s neck, a tongue ghosted over the faint scar there eliciting a shiver.  
  
Jane closed her eyes, smiling wider. They’d been together almost a year, and Maura still could still make her shiver with the gentlest of touches. Jane had always known Maura was different; that she  _felt_  differently about Maura than she had any of her other ‘relationships’. She was reluctant to call them that these days, because they didn’t even come close to what she shared with Maura. When they first got together, Jane had a niggling concern that she’d grow bored and restless, as she always did. Then she reminded herself that she’d been ‘with’ Maura in some way, shape or form for _years_  and hadn’t grown bored. After that, Jane had relaxed into the relationship and let it happen. And, a year down the line, she couldn’t imagine ever tiring of the woman in her arms. She couldn’t imagine ever being  _without_  the woman in her arms.  
  
Unconsciously, the thought made Jane hold Maura closer, making her groan.  
  
“Not so tight, sweetie. I ate too much.”  
  
Jane laughed and turned slowly so that Maura was forced to slide off of her until they ended up lying facing each other. Jane’s arm was loosely draped over Maura’s hip. Their noses were almost touching on the shared cushion.  
  
Jane sighed, unable to help her happy smile. “Hey.”  
  
Maura smiled in return and reached up to brush some hair from Jane’s forehead, watching her hand as it raked through Jane’s tangled mane. “Hey.”  
  
Having known Maura for so long, Jane could tell that she had something she wanted to say, but was unsure how to broach the subject.  
  
“What’s up?”  
  
Maura’s eyes snapped to meet Jane’s, her mouth forming a surprised ‘o’ before sliding into an affectionate smile.  
  
“Am I so very obvious?”  
  
“To me you are.” Jane tweaked Maura’s nose. “But then, I make it a habit to study you as closely as I can. As often as I can. I’m pretty sure I’m majoring in Maurology.”  
  
“That’s not a real word, Jane.” But Maura was smiling.  
  
“Well it should be. I’m gonna suggest it to Harvard. Because you’re way more interesting than all that other geeky stuff that people study. But anyway, you want to talk.”  
  
Immediately, Maura’s eyes dipped. Jane frowned until she looked up again, concerned about what would make Maura reluctant to talk to her. She hooked her arm more tightly around Maura’s waist, pulling her in so that they were as close as they possibly could be.  
  
“Hey, it’s me.” Her voice was gentle, cajoling. “You don’t have to worry about talking to me about anything.” Jane paused. “Unless, that is, you’re...breaking up with me...”   
  
Maura looked up, horrified. “Oh, Jane! I would  _never_...how could you even  _think_...that is just too  _awful_  to...”  
  
Jane halted the string of incomplete sentences – almost un _heard_  of from Maura – with a kiss. A soft, firm, reassuring kiss. When they parted, Jane grinned.  
  
“I know, I was kidding.” She winked. “But now whatever you want to talk about probably doesn’t seem so bad, huh?”  
  
Forehead wrinkled, Maura shoved Jane’s shoulder.  
  
“That was not funny.”  
  
“It was a little funny.”  
  
“It was not. Maybe I  _will_  break up wi-...” Maura stopped and drew in a deep, steadying breath, her fingers twisted tightly Jane’s shirt. “No, I can’t even joke about it.”  
  
Jane shrugged. “That doesn’t really make it much different from any other subject, does it?”  
  
“Are you intent on verbally abusing me for the  _entire_  evening or will you be taking a break any time soon?” Maura’s exaggerated pout made Jane bite her lip to stop from laughing.   
  
“I’m sorry. I’ve stopped. What did you want to talk about?”  
  
Maura grew sombre again. She brought a hand up to caress Jane’s cheek.  
  
“I love you.”  
  
Hearing those words made Jane want to do a victory dance around the room, every time. But she decided that Maura still needed to lighten up a bit with whatever this thing was she wanted to say.   
  
“Uh huh...I love you too. This isn’t groundbreaking news, sweetie.” She offered a cheeky smile. “Not that I want you to stop saying it, but it doesn’t require the dramatic build up anymore.”  
  
Maura, as she was so adept at doing, completely ignored Jane.  
  
“It’s my birthday next month...”  
  
“I know it is.” She  _did_  know, though she hadn’t really given it much thought.  
  
“And I know you don’t like to talk about money...”   
  
Jane immediately tensed. She was still uncomfortable during discussions that had anything to do with money. She had gotten better at it since they’d started dating, but she still didn’t like it. Maura knew this.   
  
“...And I’m not going to make you...but I just want to tell you that I don’t want you becoming stressed about buying me something for my birthday. I don’t need anything. I have you and that’s the greatest gift I could ever ask for.” She traced her fingers over Jane’s cheek. “So for my birthday, all I want is to be with you, okay?”  
  
As Maura spoke, Jane’s eyes had filled with tears, which she tried to blink away. She closed the minute distance so that their noses bumped together, their shared breath warm between them. Running a hand up Maura’s back, Jane sighed.  
  
“Maur...” She coughed to clear the lump from her throat. “Don’t let me run my mouth when you’re about to say really nice stuff like that.”  
  
Following the outline of Jane’s lips with the tip of her index finger, Maura shook her head. “I love your mouth.”  
  
Jane kissed the finger on her lips.  
  
“I love your everything. And don’t worry about your birthday. ‘Cause it is gonna be the best birthday ever.”  
  
Maura broke into a bright smile. “Of course it will be. Because I have you.”  
  
This time, Jane couldn’t stop a tear from escaping. She closed her eyes, letting out a shaky laugh.  
  
“Jesus, you’re determined to turn me into a huge sap, huh?”  
  
“Oh, Jane...” Maura’s whisper breezed across her lips. “You’ve always been a huge sap. I just bring it out in you.”   
  
Jane opened her eyes and looked into Maura’s own, sparkling with mischief. She thought about protesting, but then shrugged.  
  
“I guess that’s true.” She frowned. “But don’t tell anyone.”  
  
Maura grinned and pushed on Jane’s shoulder until she was flat on her back. Maura crawled on top of her. “Cross my heart.” She made an ‘x’ over her chest. Jane lifted her head slightly. “X marks the spot...” and she placed her lips on the warm skin of Maura’s chest.  
  
\---  
  
Later that night, as Maura lay asleep in her arms, Jane started to think about the implications of their earlier conversation. Maura’s birthday was approaching. It would be the first time they’d been together on Maura’s birthday. Maura was incredibly wealthy and could buy herself pretty much anything she wanted. Jane, while she had some savings, was a cop and earned a cop’s salary. Every other year, she had mostly bought Maura gag gifts or little tokens of affection. That wouldn’t cut it this year.  
  
She thought back to what Maura had said and smiled. It was so like Maura to not want Jane to worry. At Christmas, both Tommy and Angela were having money problems, so Maura had suggested that rather than shop for everyone, they all buy a $20 gift that could suit anyone and on Christmas they would put them in a box and pick one out. Jane had been touched and surprised by the gesture but Maura had just shrugged and said she never wanted anyone to feel awkward or embarrassed because of money.  
  
Overcome with a surge of love, Jane pressed her lips against Maura’s forehead, hard enough to disturb the sleeping woman who snuggled even closer to Jane.  
  
“S’that for?”   
  
Jane smiled against Maura’s skin. “Do I need a reason?”  
  
“Mmmmnope.” Maura threw a leg over both of Jane’s and curled further into her. “Love you.”  
  
“Love you too, sweetie.”  
  
Yep, Jane thought, she was going to make sure Maura had the best birthday ever. Now all she had to do was think of a gift to get for her that didn’t cost the earth and was meaningful. Closing her eyes, Jane decided to sleep on it. She had plenty of time.  
  
\---  
  
 _Home call mr indeed us hope._  
  
Jane sighed and held her phone to Maura to take as they walked into the precinct together a few days later. “Translation, please.”  
  
Maura took the phone, glanced at the screen and smiled. “Honey, call me, I need your help.”  
  
Jane took the phone back, holding it between her thumb and forefinger like it was poisoned. “That’s never good.”  
  
“I’d love to come with you to see what she needs, but I have paperwork I need to get done this morning because _someone_  dragged me home early last night.”  
  
Grabbing Maura’s arm, Jane pulled her to a halt. “Hey, you tell whoever this is that’s dragging you places that I’ll kick their ass.”  
  
Going up on her tiptoes, Maura kissed Jane quickly. “I’ll be sure to pass on that message. My hero.” She started to walk away in the direction of the elevator. “Good luck with your mother. You can tell me about it when you bring me my coffee.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, abandon me in my hour of need and then demand coffee, why don’t you?”  
  
Maura winked at her. “I just did.”  
  
Jane watched the elevator doors close and couldn’t help the soft smile that touched her lips. With a sigh, she turned and headed to the café to face whatever crisis her mother had conjured up.  
  
\---  
  
She’d barely taken a step inside before her mother’s voice rang out.  
  
“Jane, oh thank God!”  
  
Trying not to sigh, she made her way to the counter and leaned on her elbows.  
  
“Good morning to you too, Ma. And please tell me this isn’t another car emergency? Those never end well for me.”  
  
Memories of having to rescue her mother’s Buick from a sleazy car dealer and then having an even sleazier mechanic offer to lick Maura’s face danced through her head. She shuddered visibly at the last one.  
  
“No, this is nothing to do with cars.” Angela thrust a cup of coffee at Jane. ”And it’s actually kinda your fault, so you need to help me.”  
  
“My fault?” Jane was confused. Generally she was aware of when she’d done something likely to piss her mother off. More often than not, it involved getting herself injured.   
  
Angela mirrored Jane’s pose across the counter from her. “I don’t know what to get Maura for her birthday.”  
  
For a second, Jane was thrown, wondering if her mother had completely changed the subject and had been carrying on a whole different conversation without her noticing. “Maura’s birthday? It’s my fault you don’t know what to get for Maura’s birthday?”  
  
“Uh huh. If you weren’t dating her, I wouldn’t have this problem.” Angela somehow made this sound like the most logical thing in the world.   
  
“So...I’m at fault for dating Maura because you can’t decide what to get her for her birthday?”  
  
This drew a disapproving ‘tsk’ from her mother. “Don’t say it like that, Jane. You know I  _adore_  Maura.” Angela threw up her hands in defeat. “I just have no idea what to get her for her birthday. “  
  
Jane sighed and rubbed her eye with one hand, while taking a long gulp of coffee. Maura’s words from the previous evening came back to her.  
  
“She wouldn’t want you stressing over what do get her for her birthday. Just get her whatever.”  
  
Angela tipped her head to the side and pursed her lips in thought.  
  
“You know, Carla Talucci’s daughter was wearing this really ni-“  
  
Slightly too late, Jane realised she’d left the field just a bit too wide open for her mother.   
  
“Stop right there, Ma. Do  _not_  buy her clothes.”  
  
While Maura would accept any gift from anyone with grace and gratitude, her mother’s tastes were not exactly in line with Maura’s. And she didn’t want Maura getting hives from insisting on wearing a fabric that she wouldn’t normally wear, just so that she could please Angela.  
  
“Oh, so we go from ‘get her whatever’ to ‘don’t get her this’ and ‘don’t get her that’.”  
  
“Ma, you spend more time with Maura than you spend with me. You  _know_  her. Get something that means something to you both. She’ll love it. And she wouldn’t want you taking out a loan to get it, either.”  
  
“Yeah, I guess...” Angela trailed off, her eyes focussed somewhere in the distance.  
  
“While you’re thinking, gimme another coffee. Her Highness wants hers delivered to the morgue.”  
  
Watching her mother pour the coffee, Jane pondered her own situation. She knew Maura better than anyone. They had shared so much over the time they’d known each other that there were bound to be  _hundreds_  of meaningful gifts she could give. But for some reason, she couldn’t think of a single one.  
  
Oh well, she still had time.  
  
\---  
  
Jane was in the kitchen, elbow deep in a huge pan of tomato sauce, when Maura came in with several bags from stores Jane had only recently learned how to pronounce. Joe Friday ran to greet her, yipping excitedly as Maura stooped to pet the little dog.  
  
“Hey girl, did you miss me?”  
  
“Yes, she did.” Maura looked over with a grin as she scooped Joe up using her free arm. She made her way to Jane’s side, stretching up to kiss her cheek as she continued to stir the vat of sauce she’d created.  
  
“How do you know she missed me?” Maura asked, trying to keep Joe from licking her face.  
  
“Because she looked at me funny when I came home without you. Like she was accusing me of something.” Jane glared playfully at the diminutive canine. “Guess we know who her favourite is.”  
  
Maura laughed and bumped Jane’s hip with her own as she placed Joe back on the floor and dropped her bags so that she could wrap her arms around Jane’s waist from behind. “Don’t worry Jane, you’re  _my_  favourite.”  
  
“So you like me better than your turtle?”  
  
“Tortoise. And yes. Marginally.”  
  
Jane huffed and turned back to her cooking. “What have you been buying?”  
  
“Let me taste whatever smells so good and I’ll show you.”  
  
Jane blew on a spoonful of the fiery red liquid and held it out for Maura to taste. She closed her eyes as she dragged her lips over the wooden spoon.  
  
“Mmmmmm, delicious.”  
  
“You bet it is. Now, show and tell.”  
  
A kiss was pressed between Jane’s shoulder blades and then she was released. Maura picked up her bags and placed them on the counter, reaching into one and drawing out a cocktail dress. It was fuchsia, with a cowl neck and a pencil skirt and capped sleeves. Jane rolled her eyes at herself; a couple of years ago she’d have said it was a pink dress. When she picked up these other terms was beyond her. Maura draped the garment against the front of her body and looked up at Jane.  
  
“Do you like it?”  
  
The dress itself did nothing for Jane. The thought of Maura  _in_  the dress was another matter. Maura appreciated the craftsmanship in clothes, Jane appreciated how clothes looked on Maura. “You’re gonna make that dress look  _amazing_.”   
  
She was rewarded with a grin. “Thank you. It’s a birthday gift from my parents.”  
  
Jane looked from the dress to the bag Maura had just taken it from. “But...I thought you just went shopping?”  
  
“I did. I always buy myself a gift and charge it to my parents. It’s easier that way; I get something that I like and that fits. We’ve done it that way for years.”  
  
 _And your mother doesn’t have to expend any energy thinking about what to get you._  Jane managed not to say what she was thinking, but the look on her face clearly indicated her distaste.  
  
Maura moved closer to her and shrugged. “It’s fine, sweetie. It doesn’t bother me.”  
  
Having seen Maura and her mother interact, Jane  _knew_  that on some level Maura longed for her mother to pay attention to her. She knew that Maura wanted her mother to  _want_  to choose a present for her. But she’d never ask her to. Good thing Jane wasn’t so bothered about asking for things. She smiled widely.  
  
“You can wear it when I take you out on your birthday.”  
  
Maura’s eyebrows went up.  
  
“You’re taking me out? Where are we going?”  
  
Jane winked. “It’s a surprise.”  
  
Maura watched Jane for a moment, before turning and putting her dress back into its bag. Then she walked over and put her hands on Jane’s hips, turning the taller woman to face her.  
  
“I don’t care where we go on my birthday. As long as I get to spend it with you. Please don’t feel like you have to take me someplace expens-”  
  
“Babe, who said I was taking you someplace expensive? We’re going to the McDonald’s near the precinct.”   
  
Maura smiled and let her hands slip around to Jane’s back, winding around her waist.  
  
“You’re kidding, I know that. But...seriously, Jane. I mean it when I say that all I want is to be with you. It doesn’t matter where we are.”  
  
Jane cupped the back of Maura’s head and pulled her into a soft kiss before hugging her close.   
  
“Stop worrying. You’re worrying about me worrying about your birthday. I’m not worried, so you don’t need to be either. Okay?”   
  
“Okay.” The reply was slightly muffled against Jane’s shoulder.  
  
The importance of choosing just the right gift had just increased tenfold. Jane was not going to become a person who let Maura choose the present she wanted and buy it for herself. She kissed Maura’s temple and willed herself to think of something that was perfect.   
  
Nothing.  
  
She still had time, though, so it was okay.  
  
\---  
  
A week later, Frankie dropped into the chair by her desk. She finished typing an e-mail to Maura and pressed send before turning to Frankie. He didn’t bother with preamble.   
  
“I need your advice.”  
  
Jane leaned back in her chair, putting her hands behind her head. She allowed herself a moment to preen that Frankie still came to her for her wise counsel, even though he was a detective himself these days. “Sure, little brother, what case?”  
  
“No case. It’s Maura.”  
  
Jane closed her eyes and resisted the urge to groan.  
  
“Lemme guess, you need help with what to buy her for her birthday.”  
  
“Yeah.” Frankie shifted in the chair, uncomfortably. “I mean, it’s different from buying for you, because you’re like a guy.”  
  
It was clear that Frankie did not think his comment was insulting, even though Jane was shooting daggers from her eyes. “Gee, thanks.”  
  
“But Maura’s... _Maura_.” He threw up his hands in a way that reminded Jane of their mother, almost frighteningly so. “And all the things I can think to get her are like things you’d get for someone you’re dating...like flowers, or candy and I...don’t want her to think I have a crush on her or something. And you never had anybody serious before and...”  
  
“Woah! Way to make me sound like I’m a freak!” Though Jane couldn’t dispute her chequered dating history, she didn’t particularly like it to be broadcast. “It’s not like I’ve had to buy gifts for your multitude of girlfriends.”  
  
“You did for Teresa.”  
  
Just the sound of her name made Jane’s nose wrinkle in distaste. But Frankie had just ruined his case. “ _Exactly_. I didn’t even  _like_  her and I still managed to pick a gift that was personal and thoughtful without whining to you about giving me ideas.”  
  
“You got her perfume. That she was allergic to.”  
  
The sound of an e-mail arriving gave Jane the opportunity to turn away from Frankie before replying. “That wasn’t my fault.” She scanned over the content of the e-mail and smiled. Maura could make her do that with very little effort.  
  
“She said she tol-“  
  
She quickly interrupted him. “I don’t see what this has to do with Maura.”   
  
“Janie! Are you gonna help me with this or not? I need something that says  _‘Hey, we’re kinda family and I’m happy that you’re dating my sister. Oh, and thank you for saving my life that one time.’_ ”   
  
Jane smiled at Frankie’s description. Maura had far more impact on people’s lives than she was aware of. “That’s...kinda specific. I don’t think they make a card for that.”  
  
“No kidding.” Frankie slumped down in the chair, covering his face with his hands.   
  
“Just...get her something from the heart. Honestly, she’ll be happy with anything you get for her, I promise.”  
  
“Yeah...I guess.” Frankie stood and leaned in to kiss Jane’s cheek. “See ya, sis.   
  
“Be safe.”  
  
She watched Frankie leave and felt panic bubble up in her chest. She was still no closer to thinking of a gift for Maura, and her birthday was looming now. She had a little over a week to come up with an absolutely perfect gift, and to arrange a wonderful evening. She was running out of time. Making a decision, she pushed her seat back and grabbed her jacket.  
  
“Frost, I’m going out for a while. You know how to get me if you need me.”  
  
“Sure thing, partner.”  
  
She was already dialling Maura’s cell as she walked out of the precinct.  
  
“Hey.”   
  
“Hi, listen, I have to go out for a little bit. I’ll pick up lunch for us and meet you in your office, okay?”  
  
“Sounds good. Oh, but Jane, I’m wearing a silk blouse today so please try to keep the grease content to a minimum.”  
  
She couldn’t help but roll her eyes affectionately. “No grease, roger that, Dr Isles. I’ll see you soon.”  
  
“You will. I love you.”  
  
“Love you too.”   
  
\---  
  
If anything, shopping was making Jane  _more_  nervous. She’d bought some silly little gifts; things that would make Maura smile. But nothing that was enough to show Maura how Jane felt about her. Laughing softly, Jane doubted such a thing existed. She was browsing through some silk scarves when her phone started to ring. Her stomach dropped, as it always did when she heard Tommy’s ringtone.  
  
“Hey Tom, what’s up?” She had stopped answering with  _‘What have you done now?’_  after one too many lectures from Maura and her mother.  
  
“Janie...Ma says Maura’s birthday is next week and I gotta get her a present. What should I get?”  
  
“Jesus, Tommy, how should I know?” She bit her cheek after the near yell had escaped. It wasn’t Tommy’s fault that she had no idea what to get her girlfriend for her birthday.  
  
For his part, Tommy seemed unperturbed by Jane’s angry tone. “Well, hasn’t she asked for stuff?”  
  
“Maura doesn’t ask for stuff, Tommy. The only thing she wants is...” Jane trailed off, inspiration finally hitting her.  
  
“Is what? I’m thinkin’ something around twenty bucks ‘cause I’m not made of money.”  
  
“Is....”  _Me_. The only thing Maura had asked for for her birthday was to be with Jane. She said being with Jane would make her happy. Jane knew what she could do.  
  
She was lost in her own thoughts when Tommy’s voice broke through after what must have been a whole minute of silence. “Thanks, Jane. You’ve been real helpful.”  
  
She’d almost forgotten he was still on the line. “Sorry, Tom. Just get her something that shows you put some thought into it, okay?”  
  
Hurriedly saying her goodbyes, she hung up and started scrolling through her phone while she barrelled out of the store.  
  
“Ma? I need your help.”  
  
\---  
  
Jane looked up from her magazine when Maura entered the bedroom after attending to her nightly grooming routine. She smiled as the other woman shed her robe and climbed into bed, immediately attaching herself to Jane’s side and kissing her shoulder.  
  
“You’re almost out of toothpaste.”  
  
“Ah, yeah, I haven’t been by the store in a while.” More often than not, they stayed at Maura’s, but occasionally, usually when Jane needed a little distance from her mother, they stayed at Jane’s apartment.   
  
“I’ll pick some up tomorrow.” Maura rested her head on Jane’s shoulder.  
  
“’Kay.” Jane shifted a little to make them both more comfortable and then returned her attention to her magazine.  
  
“Your mother was acting strangely towards me today.”  
  
“My mother  _is_  strange, honey. You should know this by now.”  
  
“Jane.” Maura’s scolding tone was negated by the huge yawn that overtook her as she spoke. Jane took the hint and put her magazine down, reaching over to turn off the lamp and then settling down with her arms wrapped around Maura.  
  
“So, what was my mother doing that was noticeably strange today?”  
  
She felt Maura sigh against her chest.  
  
“She kept... _looking_  at me.”  
  
“As behaviour goes, that’s not all that strange.  _Especially_  for Ma.”  
  
“Yes but...it was as if she wanted to tell me something, but couldn’t. Or wouldn’t.”  
  
Jane rolled her eyes into the darkness. Her mother was awful at keeping secrets. Including her in the preparations for Maura’s surprise was a risky, but necessary strategy. She shrugged.  
  
“You know what she’s like. She probably thinks that Stanley is running a still in the pantry and selling moonshine to the Dirty Robber. You know how she loves to invent drama.”  
  
They both knew she was referring to her mother’s antics during a visit from Maura’s old boyfriend. Determined to ensure that Ian did not come between her daughter and the best thing that had ever happened to her, Angela had taken it upon herself to expose him as a criminal mastermind. The whole episode had been a little embarrassing and wholly unnecessary, but ultimately Maura had been touched by Angela’s efforts at protecting their relationship. So had Jane, though she’d never admit it.   
  
“Maybe. Or maybe she’s excited about my surprise party?”  
  
Jane bit her lip to keep from laughing. She’d kind of hoped that Maura would suspect something. It would keep her from uncovering the  _real_ surprises Jane had planned.  
  
“Who says you’re getting a surprise party? I told you, McDonald’s.”  
  
Soft lips pressed against her sternum.  
  
“Your mother could never play poker. And Frankie is almost as bad at lying as I am.”  
  
That was true. While Jane and Tommy could both spin a believable yarn when required, Frankie had always been the weak link in the chain when they were growing up. All her mother had to do was look at him and he’d spill his guts. Though it had been frustrating when they were kids, Jane admired her brother’s honesty. She made a show of sighing.  
  
“Yeah, well, now that my useless family have spoiled it... _maybe_  something  _might_  be happening of the surprise variety.”  
  
Maura turned and propped her chin up on Jane’s chest. There was just enough moonlight for Jane to pick out her features. She was smiling.  
  
“I’ve never had a surprise party before. Or...any kind of birthday party. Nothing is spoiled, Jane. Absolutely nothing.”  
  
Thinking back to her own birthday parties, mostly involving a roomful of screaming children and then barfing from too much cake, Jane couldn’t help the anger that threatened to surface that Maura had never had this attention paid to her before. But she forced herself to relax. She rubbed her hands up and down Maura’s back, underneath the t-shirt she was wearing.  
  
“Well, you know there are rules about birthday parties, right?”  
  
“Rules? No, I didn’t know that.” Maura was playing along with a grin. ”You know how I like to observe etiquette, so you’ll have to share these rules with me.”  
  
“Rule number one: if the party is meant to be a surprise, you have to act surprised. Even if you know about it.”  
  
“I may have to work on that.” Maura’s fingers were rubbing circles on Jane’s shoulder.  
  
“I imagine you will. We’ll practise. I’ll randomly yell ‘surprise’ at you and you can perfect your surprised face.”  
  
“Sounds fun.” She shifted closer to Jane, bringing their torsos into closer contact. “What are the other rules?”  
  
“Rule number two: there will be cake, probably with your name on it. But you are expected to share it with other people. Sucks, I know, but that’s the rule.”  
  
Maura chuckled, the vibration moving through Jane’s chest and settling low in her stomach.  
  
“Share the cake, got it. Anything else?” Maura’s hand was now dancing up and down Jane’s side, skimming over her scar tissue, making Jane’s breath hitch.  
  
“Rule number three, and this is the most important one...it’s your party, just have fun.”  
  
Leaning in, Maura met Jane in a gentle kiss. “I don’t think that will be a problem. As long as you’re there.”   
  
Jane’s fingers slid down Maura’s back and dipped underneath the waistband of her underwear, scratching lightly at her skin.  
  
“I’ll be there, you can count on that. Oh, and Maura?” Without warning, Jane moved her hand so that it was in between Maura’s legs, prompting a shocked squeal from her partner. “Surprise!”  
  
\---  
  
Maura’s birthday finally arrived. After a  _very_  enjoyable breakfast in bed, they’d headed to work. All morning, Jane’s phone had been going off as Maura discovered the little presents she’d hidden around the morgue and her office. Already she’d called squealing in delight over an anatomically correct heart-shaped stress reliever, a framed photograph of the two of them watching fireworks go off at New Years and a stuffed toy tortoise.  
  
She smiled as, once again, ‘My girl’ starting blaring out of her phone. She shot Frost the obligatory glare for messing with her ringtones, and picked up.  
  
“Hey.”  
  
“I love you.”  
  
“Ah, you  _love_  me...so I guess that means you found the fudge clusters?”  
  
“I did.” She could picture Maura holding the candy against her chest as she spoke. ”And you even ventured into the ‘dead fridge’ to hide them for me. You’re wonderful.”  
  
Jane was particularly proud of herself for sucking it up enough to place Maura’s gift in the fridge where she kept parts of dead people. The fact that she’d had to chant ‘cold air is cold air’ to herself the entire time was neither here nor there, and no-one had to know about it. “Yeah, I kinda am.”  
  
“I know you’re being self-deprecating right now, but I’m not exaggerating. You are full of wonders. You fill  _me_  with wonder every single day.”  
  
Jane turned away from the prying eyes of her colleagues to hide the blush that had crept up her neck. She coughed a little to cover her embarrassment.  
  
“Well...ditto, sweetheart.”  
  
“I...Jane, I can’t even tell you how much it means to me that you’ve done this.”  
  
Jane wanted to simultaneously laugh and cry. The things she’d given Maura were silly and insignificant. Yet she knew they were probably the most thoughtful gifts Maura had ever received in terms of the effort that had gone into them.   
  
“Hey, this is only the beginning. You have a whole day and night ahead of you to get sappy, so pace yourself.”  
  
A light sniffle came through the phone. “You’re right. I’m really looking forward to spending this evening with you...whatever it is we’re going to be getting up to.”  
  
“Uh huh, so you should be. I promised you the best birthday ever and I plan to deliver.”  
  
“You already have.”  
  
Again, Jane’s throat closed up. “Maur...”  
  
“Come down here. I feel the need for another birthday kiss.”  
  
Jane closed her eyes and smiled. “Your wish is my command, birthday girl.”  
  
\---  
  
That evening, Jane was examining herself in the mirror in Maura’s bedroom. She had opted for a tailored suit, rather than a dress, and she had to admit that Maura was right; it really was all about the fit. She looked pretty damn good. Even her hair was relatively calm.  
  
“Jane, can you come in here?” Maura called from the bathroom.  
  
“Sure thing, be there in a sec.”  
  
Stepping into her shoes on the way, Jane headed into the bathroom and stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of Maura. She was wearing the dress she had purchased as a gift from her parents. It was unzipped at the back, revealing her bra and a hint of her panties, both fuchsia to match the dress. Maura gathered her hair up in her hand and looked at Jane over her shoulder with a coy smile.  
  
“Zip me up?”  
  
A smile tugged at Jane’s lips which was dangerously close to a leer. “You know I want to do the exact opposite of that, right?” She walked up behind Maura, the heels she was wearing accentuating the difference in their heights as Maura was barefoot, and caught her eyes in the mirror. She lowered her lips to Maura’s exposed neck, even as she easily pulled the zipper up. Smoothing her hands over Maura’s hips, she looked up into the mirror again.  
  
“You are so very beautiful.”   
  
Maura dropped her hair back down and raised a hand up to cup Jane’s cheek, bringing their faces close together as they gazed into the mirror.  
  
“Well, that makes two of us.”  
  
Turning to press a kiss against Maura’s cheek, Jane sighed. “As much as I would love to stand and stare at you all night, I, uh...I promised Ma that we’d, uh, drop in before we head out...so she can give you your birthday present.”  
  
Maura giggled and turned in Jane’s arms, letting her hands drift over the crisp front of Jane’s shirt and jacket.  
  
“Well, we had better hurry. We don’t want to be late for...your mother.” Her eyes were sparkling at the ruse that they were both keeping up.  
  
\---  
  
The guesthouse was in darkness as they approached, Maura slipped her hand into Jane’s and Jane could feel her shaking. She tugged on Maura’s arm until she stopped walking.  
  
“Are you okay with this?” The last thing on earth Jane wanted was for Maura to feel uncomfortable.  
  
Inhaling deeply, Maura fixed her with a smile. “I am. I truly am. It’s just...new. I’ll be fine if you’re holding my hand.” She squeezed Jane’s fingers.  
  
“Okay, then let’s do this.”  
  
Pushing open the door, Jane kept a tight hold of Maura’s hand as they made their way into the dark room.  
  
“Ma? You here?”  
  
Someone flicked a light on, illuminating the space.  
  
“Surprise!”  
  
Jane looked over at Maura, and found that no acting was required, which was what she’d hoped for. The room was full of people. She was sure that Maura had expected it to be Jane’s family and maybe Frost and Korsak. But pretty much every detective in homicide, as well as a number of the cops were there, and so were all of Maura’s lab assistants and technicians. And Maura hadn’t even noticed the best part yet.  
  
Maura was clinging to her arm, one hand over her heart as she took in all of the smiling faces.  
  
“I...my goodness! I...can’t...I’m so...”  
  
“Surprised, Maur?” Jane’s smile leaked into her voice.  
  
“We got you?” Angela asked, bustling over and pulling Maura into a hug. “Oh, I’m so glad. Frankie’s terrible at keeping secrets and I thought for sure he’d have given us away!”  
  
“Hey!” Frankie protested.  
  
Releasing Maura, Angela glanced over into the corner of the room and winked. Jane turned just in time to see Constance Isles make her way forward.  
  
“Happy Birthday, darling!”  
  
At the sound of her mother’s voice, Maura’s head spun around.  
  
“M...mother?”  
  
Jane willed herself not to cry when Maura’s eyes came to rest on her. They were filled with so many emotions that Jane couldn’t begin to name them. She watched as Maura’s mother embraced her politely. She decided to get the focus away from Maura before it became too daunting.  
  
“Frankie, I thought you were in charge of music? Let’s get the party started!”  
  
With the music, a low hum started up as people fell into conversation. Jane watched as Maura’s mother pretended to cough, allowing her a moment to wipe at her eyes as they exchanged greetings and pleasantries. Maura looked over and caught Jane watching her. She touched her mother’s arm and gestured to Jane.   
  
Jane smiled as Maura walked back to her, shaking her head.  
  
“How...”  
  
Jane shrugged. “I wanted to surprise you.” She favoured Constance with a glance, offering her a conspiratorial wink. “I told your mother this was one social event she really didn’t want to miss, and she agreed.”   
  
Suddenly, Jane was the one on the receiving end of a surprise as Maura grabbed her face and crashed their lips together, causing the crowd to whoop and yell their approval. Maura pulled back, ignoring the racket around them, all of her attention focussed on Jane.  
  
“You...I...all of this. I love you, Jane Rizzoli.”  
  
Still recovering from the unexpected kiss, Jane managed something resembling a cocky grin.  
  
“That works out pretty well, because I love you too.” She bumped Maura’s forehead with her own, lowering her voice. “Now, you remember those rules I told you about? Go do number three.”  
  
Maura’s fingers tangled with her own. “You’re here. So I already am.”  
  
Jane kissed Maura’s nose. “Sap. Let’s have cake.”  
  
\---  
  
After hours of laughing and gifts and crying and cake, Jane and Maura finally stepped out to make the short walk back to the main house. Some of the guests had left, but most were carrying on the party. Jane was slightly worried about the fact that her mother and Constance had been deep in conversation for most of the evening. God only knew what they had been saying to each other.  
  
Jane lifted her face to the sky and closed her eyes, enjoying the cool air after the crowded room. Maura wrapped both of her arms around one of Jane’s leaning on her as they sauntered across the yard. Neither of them had consumed much alcohol, but Jane felt pleasantly at ease with the world.   
  
“Thank you.”  
  
The words startled her out of her head and she turned to brush her lips across Maura’s forehead.  
  
“You’re welcome.”  
  
Jane opened the door to the house and they stepped inside. Maura put her hands on Jane’s forearms, preventing her from moving further into the house. Jane raised her eyebrows in an unasked question.  
  
“I’m not just talking about tonight. Thank you for...for being in my life.”  
  
“Awww, Maur!” Jane scowled, playfully. “Don’t make me cry again. It’s bad for my badass image.”  
  
Unperturbed by Jane’s complaints, Maura continued to smile up at her. “Let’s get married.”  
  
Jane froze.  
  
“Huh?”  
  
Maura frowned. “Not the answer I’d hoped for...”  
  
“No, I...Maura...”   
  
“Is it because I didn’t kneel down? I know that’s traditional but I was caught up in the moment and I can do it again if yo-“  
  
Jane could see Maura was going into panic mode, so she cut her off with a deep kiss. Pulling away, she ran a hand down Maura’s arm until they were holding hands and dragged her to the fireplace. She wrapped an arm around Maura’s waist and turned so that they were facing the mantle.  
  
“See that?” She pointed at a completely out of place, tacky, pewter figure of an elephant. Maura had insisted on buying it during their first date and it had enjoyed pride of place amongst the expensive art ever since. But it bore an addition that had never been there before. A diamond ring dangled from its trunk.  
  
Maura’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh...Jane.” The words were barely more than a breath. “I’m so sorry! You...you should have...”  
  
“I should have what?” Jane asked, a laugh colouring her words. “I should have told you that I planned to propose tonight so that you wouldn’t do it first?”  
  
“Well, no...but...oh, Jane. So this means...”  
  
Taking Maura’s hand in her own, Jane removed the ring from the elephant’s trunk and slowly went down on one knee.  
  
“Yep, this means...that I’m a lot less nervous about asking this question now.” She winked, but then grew serious. “Maura Isles you are, without doubt, the most amazing, wonderful person I’ve ever known...and also the goofiest.” This drew a sobbing laugh from Maura and Jane swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, yes, I’ll marry you...on one condition.”  
  
Maura paused midway through wiping one of the tears that was running down her cheek. She tilted her head. “Condition?”  
  
“Yeah...” Jane allowed herself a full grin. “On the condition that you marry me too.”   
  
Shaking her head with an affectionate smile, Maura held out her left hand. “I can think of nothing I would rather do than marry you, Jane.”  
  
Jane let out a breath she’d apparently been holding as she slid the ring onto Maura’s waiting finger. Then, unable to help herself, she sprung to her feet and raised both arms in the air. “Yes!”  
  
Maura laughed and wiped her eyes before being gathered into Jane’s arms and kissed to the point of breathlessness. They reluctantly parted, but stayed close, Maura nuzzling into Jane’s neck.  
  
“You were right.” The words were muffled against her skin.  
  
“’Bout what?” Jane asked, dipping her head so that her nose brushed Maura’s.  
  
“This  _is_  the best birthday ever.”  
  
Laughing gently, Jane nodded. “Yeah...but how the  _hell_  am I gonna top it next year?”  
  
Maura tilted her head back to look up at Jane. “You’ll think of something, I’m sure. But right now, I think we need to celebrate.”   
  
Jane allowed herself to be tugged into the kitchen, where Maura ducked into the fridge and came out with a bottle of champagne. Jane’s eyes went wide.  
  
“Oh, hey! That’s the good stuff! The hundred bucks a glass stuff!”  
  
“I know you like it. And I think the occasion merits it, don’t you?” Maura had already expertly removed the cork with a soft pop and was pouring the liquid into two glasses. “I bought this for us to enjoy together tonight for my birthday. I hadn’t planned to ask my...uh, little question earlier.” Maura blushed and Jane grinned.  
  
“Yeah, talk about stealing a girl’s thunder!” She accepted one of the glasses from Maura.   
  
Maura leaned against the counter, absently fingering the pearls around her neck, obviously thinking. “I...was going to say I was sorry, but I’m not. I think it was lovely that we’re both at the same place in our relationship. And I think it fits us perfectly that our engagement was slightly...non-traditional.”  
  
“Really? You don’t think we’re the epitome of a traditional American couple? Tradition be damned.” Jane clinked her glass against Maura’s. “I think we’re way more interesting. Who else gets to fight crime together by day and then come home to a dog and a turtle and be gay married by night?”  
  
“Tortoise. And we’ll be gay mar-...” Maura stopped and rolled her eyes at her use of Jane’s terminology. “ _Married_  by day too, you know.”   
  
“We will? Gee, I thought it was a part-time thing...” She leaned in and kissed Maura’s pout away. She held up her glass. “To us.”  
  
“To us.” Maura echoed, tapping her glass against Jane’s and then taking a sip. Jane did likewise, her eyes closing at the taste of the champagne.   
  
“Jesus, that’s as good as I remember.”  
  
“Mmhmm.” Maura took another sip. “I had a thought...”  
  
“Just one?” Jane asked, draining her glass.  
  
“Yes, I thought you might enjoy drinking your champagne from my navel?”  
  
Jane barely managed to keep hold of the expensive champagne flute in her hand. Maura, for her part, was all innocence; waiting patiently for Jane’s reply.  
  
“From your na-...yes. Yes, I think I would like that a lot.”  
  
“I thought so.” Maura took Jane’s glass from her and placed it on the counter along with her own. “But first...I still have one present to unwrap...”  
  
Her mind still a little foggy from the mental images Maura had evoked, Jane’s brow creased in confusion.  
  
“I thought you op-“ Maura stepped right up to her and starting unbuttoning her shirt. “Oh...yeah,  _that_  present.”  
  
Jane’s shirt was all the way open and Maura’s hands were roaming over her torso. With a firm kiss to Jane’s lips, she stood back and appraised her. “I think I’ll finish unwrapping you in the bedroom...” Maura started to walk in that very direction, casting a suggestive glance over her shoulder. “Don’t forget the champagne. And leave the glasses here.”  
  
Jane watched her go, her smile growing with every step. Oh yeah, it was gonna be a bitch trying to top this birthday. But it would be fun to try.


	2. Extra scenes and alternate endings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Think of these as DVD extras to the story. Something about this little fluffy fic was just...difficult. It felt unwieldy and I had to chop things out and change things around a lot, which I generally do not do. When I write a fic, I write a fic. I don’t do a whole lot of editing or changing. (Jesus, now this is starting to sound like a Director’s Commentary.) Anyway, below are some bits that were in the fic at various points, but now aren’t. Think of them as deleted scenes. And a couple of alternate endings.

  
**Missing scenes – Gifts**  –  _I wanted to come up with gifts for everyone to give Maura, but the gift giving portion of the fic was too much like a list and it felt weird to write them from Jane’s POV. So I fiddled around with what I had, and made them into individual drabbley things, from various POVs._

**Angela**

Angela watched Maura speak to her parents with a level of formality that had just never been there in her own family. She could never imagine standing on ceremony with her kids. 

Jane had warned everyone not to make a big deal out of giving Maura her gifts. Maura still didn’t do great with crowds of people staring at her so Angela waited for her opportunity and caught Maura on her way back from the bathroom.

“Hey sweetie, having fun?”

“Oh my goodness, yes!” Maura’s eyes were shining like a little kid’s. “This is much more than I could ever have hoped for. I’m so touched that everyone has come together. It’s...lovely.”

“I’m glad, hon.” Angela curled a hand around Maura’s elbow and drew her aside. “Jane wanted this to be special for you.”

At the mention of her daughter’s name, Maura’s face lit up even more, her eyes flitting over the crowd until she located Jane, a soft smile curving her lips. 

“Every moment I spend with Jane is special. She didn’t have to go to all of this effort.” Dragging her eyes away from the tall detective, she leaned close to Angela. “But I’m so grateful to her for doing it.”

Patting Maura’s arm, Angela smiled. “She’d walk through fire for you, you know that, right?”

A slight tremble on Maura’s lower lip had Angela glancing around, worried that Jane would appear out of nowhere and yell at her for making Maura cry.

“Hey now, you’ll get me in trouble.” Angela turned and took down a small box, tied with a ribbon, from a nearby shelf. She held it out to the younger woman. “Here.” 

“Angela! You shouldn’t have!“

“It’s not much...just...something I wanted you to have.” Angela watched eagerly as Maura lifted the lid from the box and took out the piece of paper that was on top. Maura’s eyes danced over the words, and Angela knew that this time there would be no way of avoiding the tears. Watery eyes met her own.

“It’s your chicken soup recipe.”

“And you remember what the secret ingredient is, right?” Angela nodded towards the box and Maura reached in and brought out a jar labelled ‘Love’.

“Angela...”

Covering Maura’s hand with her own, Angela made sure Maura was looking at her as she spoke.

“You and Janie have a lot of love between you. But sometimes things get hard and you just need that extra little pinch, okay?”

Without a word, Maura threw her arms around Angela, hugging her tightly and crying into her shoulder. As expected, Jane was by her elbow in seconds.

“Ma...what did you do?”

“Me? I didn’t do anything! Why d’you always think I did something?”

Maura lifted her head, thank God, to come to her rescue. She reached out for Jane’s arm and squeezed.

“She gave me a wonderful gift and I got a little emotional, that’s all.”

Angela noticed that the recipe and the jar were clasped tightly against Maura’s chest and smiled. A little love went a long way.

**Tommy**

Tommy walked up to Maura and Jane a little while into the evening. Maura was holding up a stapler that was shaped like a tortoise to show Jane, who clearly thought it was the ugliest thing she’d ever seen. Maura was scolding her for whatever comment she’d made.

“Jane! Vince obviously picked this out specially and I love it.”

“Well, I guess that’s what counts. What’d Frost get you.”

“A bookmark.” Maura handed it over to Jane and let her read what was written on the leather bookmark. “’Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.’”

“Mark Twain, right?” Tommy put in, earning a delighted smile from Maura and a raised eyebrow from Jane.

“Yes!”

“How’d you know that?” Jane questioned.

“I read a lot in prison. I liked Mark Twain.”

Truth was, he’d always enjoyed reading as a kid. But he fell away from it when he got in with a bad crowd in his teens and never really went back to it, until he’d found himself with time on his hands.

“You’re very surprising, Tommy.” Maura pronounced. “I like that.”

“Well...surprise!” He held out his gift. The wrapping was kinda crappy, but he was confident that she’d like what was inside.

“So many gifts!” Maura exclaimed, taking the oblong present. She turned to Jane. “Your mother is keeping them for me in a box in her bedroom so nothing gets misplaced, so you can add the ones from Barry and Vince to it for me.”

“Yes ma’am.” Jane trotted off obediently. Tommy had never seen his sister do what  _anyone_  told her right away. Sometimes she made it her business to do the  _opposite_  of what she was asked. But not with Maura. She totally was whipped.

Maura had removed the wrapping and was holding the wooden box, she looked very intrigued as she lifted the lid. Her smile was worth the little bit of extra cash he’d laid out on the present. It was a chess set, but the pieces were all people from the Civil War. He knew Maura was interested in all that stuff and when he saw it in the store, he was sure she’d love it.

“Tommy, this is beautiful. Really beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like it. I think I’ll enjoy beating you with these pieces.”

She laughed out loud just as Jane appeared by her shoulder.

“Wow, Tom, these are cool.”

“Tommy just challenged me to a match. Which you aren’t allowed to win for me, by the way.” 

Jane grinned and shrugged in that cocky way of hers. “Hey, I can’t help it if the two of you suck.”

Maura rolled her eyes and leaned in to fake whisper to him. “Perhaps one day we can double team your sister?”

He couldn’t help it, his mind went  _there_. Now, picturing Maura in all sorts of sexy situations was nothing new to Tommy, but  _Jane_? Yeah, he wasn’t gonna go there. Jane smacked him on the back of his head.

“Ew! Not like that! Ew!”

“You musta thought that too or you wouldn’t know what I was thinkin’! But yeah, ew.”

Maura was looking between the two of them, and then realisation dawned. 

“Oh...I...didn’t mean that in the way that both of you obviously took it. Though why either of you would think  _that_  about each other is, frankly, quite disturbing.”

“He thought it first!” Jane protested.

Maura shook her head and sighed, turning back to him with a smile. “Thank you for the lovely gift, Tommy. We’ll set up a match sometime soon.”

“Sure thing, Maura.”

They were interrupted when Maura’s mother cleared her throat and touched her daughter’s elbow.

“Darling, can I speak to you when you have a moment?”

“Of course, mother.” She turned to grace him with another dazzling smile. “Excuse me, Tommy. And thank you again.”

Jane leaned back against the counter beside him, taking a drink from the bottle of beer she’d been nursing. “That cost more than twenty bucks.”

He bristled, even though he’d half expected it. “It did. Which means I stole it, right?”

“No...I was just saying...”

“Yeah, well, maybe I decided she’s worth more than twenty bucks. She’s been real good to me. Her and ma...they’ve been the only ones...I never felt like they judged me.”

He didn’t look at her, thinking that she’d get defensive, which would make him get angry, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause a scene at Maura’s party. 

“I...I’m sorry, that you feel like I judge you.”

That he hadn’t expected. He turned to look at his sister and saw that the apology was sincere. He nodded. They both turned to watch Maura talking to her mother and father.

“I could learn a few things from Maura, I guess.”

“We all could, Janie. She’s pretty special.”

He could pretty much  _hear_  Jane smiling. “Yeah...she is.”

He waited a beat.

“You lucky bitch.”

The punch to his shoulder lacked intent.

“You know it.”

He grinned. Whipped.

**Constance**

Constance Isles had always been aware that her parenting skills were below par. She’d known that she wasn’t a great mother, and that she was probably responsible for a lot of the problems her daughter had experienced while growing up. Had it not been for Jane, Constance might have gone her whole life, refusing to acknowledge the elephant in the room. But being around the Rizzolis made it almost impossible to exist on a polite, distant level and, slowly but surely, Constance felt like she was finally getting to have the relationship with her daughter that she hadn’t even known she craved.

Receiving this invitation from Jane, which came with a hardly veiled at all reference to the fact that Maura had chosen her own gifts from herself and her husband for years, was very welcome. In the past, Constance had never wanted to assume that Maura would want to spend her birthday with family. Perhaps she should have asked. Perhaps she would ask next year. For now, she was content to see how well loved her child was by this odd assortment of people. 

Jane had been the catalyst for change in their lives, and Constance was grateful for that. Seeing the comfortable way Maura interacted with Jane always took Constance by surprise. While she’d seen Maura with suitors over the years, she had never been overly demonstrative of her affections with them. But with Jane, there was no mistaking their feelings.

She watched as Jane’s brother gave Maura a gift, and waited until it looked like the conversation was coming to an end. She stepped up behind Maura and touched her arm lightly.

“Darling, can I speak to you when you have a moment?”

“Of course, mother.”

Maura excused herself from the conversation and followed her mother to a quiet corner of the room. Constance knew it was ridiculous to feel nervous about having a simple conversation with her own child, but she wasn’t like the Rizzolis and it didn’t come naturally. Smiling through her nerves, she reached into her purse and brought out a flat, square, blue leather box. It wasn’t wrapped and she knew that Maura would recognise it as soon as she saw it. 

She heard the sharp intake of breath and looked up to find Maura with her hand resting on her chest.

“Mother...is that...”

“Yes.” She opened the box to reveal an antique pearl necklace. “It’s your grandmother’s.”

Maura reached out to touch the soft velvet that lined the inside of the case, her fingers barely brushing against the necklace itself. She lifted her eyes to meet her mother’s.

“Why...why is it here?”

Constance took a fortifying breath.

“I want you to have it.”

“What? No! I mean...grandmother left it to you...it belongs to you.”

“And now it belongs to you.” Constance closed the case and held it out for Maura to take. “I know you love it. I remember you used to ask to wear it when you were a little girl. You would sit at the table wearing the pearls and my shoes, sipping from an empty tea-cup.”

A tear was making its way slowly down Maura’s cheek and Constance reached out on instinct to halt its progress, cupping her hand under Maura’s chin after she’d wiped it away.

“I...I was pretending to be you. I wanted to be like you.”

“Oh, darling...and now I want to be like you.”

Whether it was the Rizzoli influence, or just the intensity of the moment, something prompted Constance to wrap her arms around her only daughter and hold her close, the box pressed between them. Feeling Maura squeeze her back tightly, Constance felt, possibly for the first time, that she’d done something right. It wasn’t long before they pulled away, both wiping at tears and laughing at themselves.

“People must think we’re ridiculous!” Constance glanced around, but no-one was sparing them a passing glance, except Jane, who winked at her and nodded.

“I don’t think our actions would be deemed inappropriate in this setting,” Maura assured her, still wiping at her own eyes. “Goodness, it’s a wonder I have anything left in my lachrymal glands!”

“Would...would you like me to put the necklace on for you? I think it will go splendidly with the dress.”

“I would like that very much....thank you.”

Maura turned around and lifted her hair. Constance found her hands were shaking as she lifted the heirloom from the case and draped it around her daughter’s neck, fastening the catch with a little difficulty. As she was doing so, Jane approached them, coming to stand in front of Maura. She reached out and touched the necklace.

“This is almost as beautiful as you are.” 

Maura smiled and dipped her head, pressing her face into Jane’s shoulder and Constance’s heart swelled to see how happy she was.

“Thank you for inviting me tonight, Jane. It’s been a lovely evening so far.”

Wrapping an arm around Maura’s shoulders, Jane smiled. “You’re welcome. But you know you don’t need an invitation, right? God knows, my mother doesn’t wait for one.”

Constance looked to Maura for a reaction and found her nodding. “Absolutely, I’d love to see more of you.” She looked up at Jane. “We both would.”

“I...I would like that. I’ll try...no, I’ll make  _sure_  to visit more often.”

The delight on Maura’s face almost broke Constance’s heart and she wondered how she could have failed to notice before that Maura wanted to spend time with her.

“Connie!”

Jane closed her eyes and sighed. “Speak of the devil.” She turned to see her mother barrelling towards them. “Ma, her name is Constance.”

“No, please. Connie makes me feel young again. It’s what my schoolmates called me.”

“See? It makes her feel young!” Angela stuck her tongue out at Jane. “Connie, you gotta come try this drink Vince made. It’s called a Slippery Nipple!” She started tugging on Constance’s arm, making her laugh.

“I’ll speak to you later, darling,” she called out as she was dragged away.

Maura smiled and waved, before turning to face Jane and becoming lost in her once again. 

Constance arrived in the midst of a raucous crowd in the kitchen area and had a small glass thrust into her hand. 

She couldn’t remember ever feeling more at home.

**Frankie**

Frank Rizzoli Jr was not blessed with natural charisma like his siblings. Tommy and Jane had that  _something_  that their mother had that just drew people to them. Frankie took after his father. He’d much rather watch from afar, quietly, than jump into the middle of things. But he couldn’t wait much longer. The party was kind of winding down and a couple of times he’d been worried that Jane and Maura were gonna leave, but they always got snagged by someone and stuck around.

He felt awkward about giving Maura a gift. Not because he didn’t like her. He really, really liked her. When he’d first met her, back when she’d been Jane’s ‘best friend’, he had indulged in a few fantasies about going all Rizzoli on her and sweeping her off her feet. Those fantasies died a death when it became clear that Maura was only interested in one particular Rizzoli, and it wasn’t Frankie. And now, they were friends...practically family. But he still felt weird about his gift.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Jane take Maura’s hand and gesture towards the door, and he guessed that it was now or never.

“Hey Maura!” The words were out before he’d even realised he was going to say them.

Both Maura and Jane turned to face him. Maura smiled in that way that always made him blush. She made her way over, pulling Jane behind her.

“Frankie, I don’t think I’ve even had a chance to say hello to you this evening! I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s your party. Gotta do the social thing, right?”

“Tell me about it.” Jane wrapped her arms around Maura’s waist from behind. “I wanted her all to myself but I’ve been a good girl and shared her all evening.”

Maura turned to smile up at his sister and he found himself longing for someone who looked at him like that. Even someplace  _close_  to that. Not wanting to intrude on them for longer than necessary, he thrust a bulky envelope at Maura.

“Here, this is for you.”

“Oh, Frankie, thank you!” She didn’t even know what it was yet, and she was already so happy. He looked down and shuffled his feet, trying to hide his shy smile as she opened the envelope. He risked a glance up and saw Maura holding the pack of Life Savers candy in one hand, while both she and Jane read the content of the card. He could recall it word for word, because he’d sweated over each and every one of them.

_“Happy Birthday Maura._  
I want you to know that I’m happy you’re part of our family, and that you make Jane happy. Thank you for saving my life. I hope maybe this will help to save other people.   
Love, Frankie.” 

He’d put in the confirmation of a donation he’d made to Doctors Without Borders in Maura’s name. 

“Frankie...I...” He looked up and saw that she was struggling to speak. Even Jane was sniffling a little. He tried to shrug, rubbing nervously at the back of his neck.

“I just...I know you worked with them, and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you so I figured I could give something back, ya know?”

“It’s a really thoughtful gift, Frankie. Thank you.” 

He blushed again, and it deepened when she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Then another set of arms wrapped around both of them.

“You did good, Junior.”

Something loosened inside him, hearing that his sister’s words. It was stupid, but it still meant so much to him when she approved of what he did. Hoping that his face wasn’t too red, and his grin wasn’t too dopey, he pulled back.

“Well, it looked like you guys were about to call it a night. I don’t want to hold you back.”

Maura nodded and went up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, while Jane mussed his hair, laughing as she dragged Maura away. Maura turned to wave over her shoulder at him.

“Goodnight, Frankie!”

He watched them go with a smile. Maura and Jane gave Frankie hope that one day he’d be happy like they were.

\---

**Alternate Ending**  -  _So, originally this kicked in after Maura and Jane had left the party. But I felt it meandered and went nowhere and tried to bring too much in at once and had too many deep and meaningful conversations in quick succession. So I scrapped it. But it’s here if you’re interested._

\---

“Okay, so now I get to give you your real gift.”

“Jane! You’ve given me so much already today. I told you that I onl-“

Jane covered Maura’s lips with a single finger.

“Just listen for a sec, okay? It’s probably misleading to call it this a gift, because it’s kinda beat-up and second hand and you’ve been using it for a while...”

Maura’s forehead crinkled in confusion. Jane removed her finger from Maura’s mouth and took both of her hands into her own, rubbing her thumbs over her knuckles. She looked up and met Maura’s curious stare.

“Okay, so you told me once that you don’t know how to ask for things, and that’s been pretty obvious over the last few weeks.” Her lips turned up into a smile. “In fact, the only thing you’ve been pretty consistent in asking for...is to be with me.”

Maura smiled in return, a slight blush dappling her face and neck. “I have, haven’t I? I’m getting better...”

Unable to resist the picture of a smiling, blushing Maura, Jane leaned in and briefly brought their lips together. When she pulled back, she inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath. Maura squeezed her hands, head tilted to the side in a question.

“I...guess I just ...no, I  _know_  that I want to show you that you can be with me forever, if that’s what you want.”

Maura let go of Jane’s left hand, her own hand flying to her chest. 

“Jane...”

“Shhh, Maur, let me say this.” Jane’s voice was barely a whisper and she cleared her throat and swallowed in an attempt to get the words out. “I want to...I was trying to think of something to say that kinda summed us up, but I’m not you and my vocabulary only goes so far, you know? If there are words to describe how I feel about you, then I don’t know them. But what I do know is that I never want to be without you. And I know it’s not a guarantee or anything, but I wanted to do something to show you that I’m yours...and you’re mine.”

Tugging Maura’s hand gently, she led her to the fireplace. There, amongst the expensive art pieces and tribal carvings, was a tacky pewter figure of an elephant that Maura had insisted on buying during their first date and displaying in pride of place. On its trunk was a new addition; a diamond ring. 

A sob escaped Maura’s throat and she covered her mouth, looking up at Jane with tear-filled eyes. Jane blinked back her own tears as she took the ring off the elephant’s trunk. She was still holding onto Maura’s hand as she knelt down on one knee, causing another sob to erupt. She held up the ring between her thumb and forefinger. It was a classic design; sleek and simple and all the more beautiful for it. Jane had known that, if she’d asked, her mother would have given her her grandmother’s ring. But she wanted something that was just for her and Maura, something new that was just theirs and no-one else’s. She grinned.

“So, Maura Isles, goofy, adorable,  _amazing_  love of my life...will you marry me?”

It appeared that Maura was incapable of speech. Her lip was trembling violently and tears were streaming down her face. After what felt like an eternity, to Jane at least, she finally gave up on trying to speak, and just nodded, and collapsed onto her knees beside Jane, throwing herself into her arms and hugging her tightly.

“That was a ‘yes’, right?”

More nodding, this time into Jane’s shoulder. Jane chuckled in relief and squeezed Maura.

“Okay, maybe we’ll just tell people that you said yes out loud...can I put the ring on your finger now?”

Maura lifted her head and wiped her eyes hurriedly, smudging her make-up in the process. She smiled and Jane thought she had never seen anything more beautiful.

“Ask...ask me again.” Maura’s voice was still shaking. “Ask me so that I can reply properly.”

Jane shook her head. From their position on the floor, Jane once again took Maura’s hand. But this time she leaned in and kissed her soundly, pulling away just enough to whisper two words.

“Marry me?” 

“Yes.” The word was little more than an exhalation against Jane’s lips, but it lifted up her heart and spun it around. Lifting Maura’s hand, Jane slipped the ring onto the correct finger. Maura’s fingers instinctively linked with her own as she looked down to assess the ring.

“If you don’t like it we ca-“

“I love it. It’s beautiful. It’s perfect.” Maura met her eyes, fresh tears spilling over. “Just like you.”

“I’m no-“

“Yes, you are. You’re perfect for me. And I’m perfect for you. And I don’t care how imprecise a term that is. It fits us.”

Jane looked down at their joined hands, bringing them to rest over her heart.

“It kinda does, huh?”

“It does,” Maura confirmed with a decisive nod. “And we’re getting married.”

“Wow...that sounds so weird. Good weird. Excellent weird.” Jane tried it out for herself. “We’re getting married. I’m marrying Maura Isles. Maura’s marrying me.” She rubbed her nose against Maura’s. “You’re going to be my wife.”

“I am. And you will be mine. And...Jane, I can’t tell you how happy you’ve made me.”

“Well I guess that makes us even, because you’ve made me happy for a very long time.” She kissed Maura gently. “So, was I right? Is this the best birthday ever?” 

“Without a doubt, this is the best birthday I’ve ever had...all because of you.” Maura’s eyes widened. “Oh! I almost forgot!” She pushed herself up from the floor and got to her feet, only to immediately kneel back down and pull Jane against her. 

“Uh...you almost forgot what?”

Maura’s gentle laugh was warm against her neck. “I forgot that I had bought something for you...and that I had something to ask you.” She picked up her head and narrowed her eyes playfully at Jane. “But you’ve stolen my thunder a little on that front. And to answer the implied question in your actual question, the reason got up and then came back is that when I let go of you, I realised that it was a bit premature...I still want to hold onto this feeling. And, by extension, to you.”

“That was a long-ass way of telling me you want to hug me for a little longer.”

“I want to hug you for a little longer.”

Burying her nose in Maura’s hair, Jane held her tighter. “I am more than okay with that.”

After a few moments, Maura loosened her grip and smiled beautifully at Jane.

“Okay, more hugging later. Right now, it’s my turn to do the asking.”

After helping each other up from where their knees had stiffened up on the floor, Jane trailed behind Maura to the kitchen where Maura retrieved a bottle of champagne from the fridge.

Catching sight of the label, Jane’s eyebrows shot up. “Hey, that’s the good stuff!”

“Lefevre Brut, yes.” Maura poured two generous glasses and handed one to Jane. “I do pay attention, you know. And I think the occasion more than merits it, don’t you?”

Jane accepted the glass and took a sip, closing her eyes and letting out a low moan that usually only escaped her when Maura was touching her in quite specific places.

“God, that is as amazing as I remember it being.”

“This is sort of redundant now, because I assume, and you know I don’t do that lightly, that implicit in your proposal of marriage was an understanding that we would live together. But I’ve built up to this for a long time and I want to ask you.” Maura stopped and inhaled deeply. “Jane, I would like us to live together. Really together, where we have a house that belongs to both of us and you don’t feel the need to comment on ‘my’ carpets and ‘my’ art. I want everything to be ours. Now that we’re getting married.” Jane grinned at the smile that naturally appeared on Maura’s face as she said those words. “Everything  _will_  be ours. But I don’t want to wait anymore. I want us to live together, Jane. Now. Right now. Immediately. I want you never to leave me to go ‘home’ again. I want Joe to be ours and Bass to be ours. I want us to have a home that’s ours.”

Jane had listened to Maura’s ramble, feeling something swell almost to bursting point in her chest. 

“So, let me get this straight…what I’m picking up from you is that…you want us to live together?”

Maura slapped her shoulder. “Jane! I’m being serious!”

Placing both of their champagne glasses on the counter, Jane pulled Maura into her arms and kissed her until she whimpered.

“Maura, I want that too. I want all of that.”

“Then let’s do it. Tomorrow we can go out and find somepl-“

“What’s wrong with here?” Jane interjected. She’d just assumed they’d live at Maura’s.

“Well…nothing, but it’s…I thought you might want something that was new to both of us, so that it would be ours from the beginning?”

“Maura, we could live under a bridge for all I care. Here is fine. I can start contributing to the mortga-“ Maura was shaking her head. “Of course you don’t have a mortgage. Well, we can…get some kind of shared bank account thing for bills and stuff. And I guess we’ll need one of those pre-nup thingies?”

“A pre-nup?” Maura looked appalled. “Jane, we do not require a pre-nuptial agreement.”

“Uh…I think you’ll find that people who are super-rich who marry people who…aren’t super-rich usually like a piece of paper that says they get to keep their money if they…”

“If they what? Split up?” Maura grabbed Jane’s shoulders and pulled her close. “Jane, if we need to write a pre-nuptial agreement about anything it should be my heart. Because that’s what would be at risk if we split up. I couldn’t care less about the money.”

Jane melted. Literally, felt herself become soft and pliable under Maura’s touch. She shook her head and reached out to open a drawer, groping around until she found a notebook and pen. She manoeuvred them so that Maura was standing in front of her. Her arms were around Maura’s waist and her chin resting on her shoulder.

“Okay, how about we write our own pre-nup, right here?”

“Jane…”

Without further elaboration, Jane started writing, her messy scrawl quickly filling up the blank sheet of paper.

“I, Jane Rizzoli, being of mostly sound mind and slightly damaged body, do hereby swear to always protect the heart of one Maura Isles, entrusted to my care. 

If said heart is ever hurt through my actions or omissions, it is agreed that I will bestow as many kisses and hugs as are required to rectify the situation – quantity to be determined by the aforementioned Maura Isles. 

It is my intention that this agreement will be in effect as long as we both shall live.

Signed  
Jane Rizzoli.”

Signing her name with a flourish, Jane dropped a kiss on Maura’s neck.

“How’s that for a pre-nup?” 

“It’s...perfect.”

\---

**Alternate Proposal Method**  -  _This was one of my initial ideas for how Jane could propose to Maura. It’s bloody hard to think of exciting/different proposal scenes, so I’d thought that Jane could make a book for Maura’s birthday, but leave spaces for Maura to fill in the blanks. It would have gone thusly..._

**The Story of Jane and Maura**

Once upon a time, on the Southside of Boston, a little girl lived in a wooden house with her crazy family. The little girl was strong, athletic and did  _not_  look anything like a frog. The little girl’s name was Jane.

[Pics of Jane when she was little – Baby pic, Roly Poly Rizzoli and then Gangly Teen!Jane]

\---

In a mansion in a land far, far away, lived another little girl. This little girl was smart and pretty and enjoyed cutting up frogs. She was in no way weird or boring. This little girl’s name was Maura.

[bb!Pics of Maura, Maura winning a science fair, Maura graduating]

\---

The two little girls should never have met. They came from different classes. They came from different  _worlds_. But it just so happened that one of the little girls grew up to be a kick-ass detective and the other grew up to be the Chief Medical Examiner. 

One dark, rainy evening, they met over a dead gangbanger. (Who  _had_  been stabbed, by the way.)

It was like fate. Jane thought Maura was pretty. 

Maura thought Jane was ______________.

[A crime scene photo of Jane and Maura talking]

\---

The women quickly became friends. They laughed together and drank together. They worked together and played together. They even slept together from time to time. 

Jane thought Maura was goofy and amazing.

Maura thought Jane was __________ and ____________ .

[Pics of them at the precinct and the Dirty Robber.]

\---

One day, a bad man entered Jane and Maura’s world. He came to where they worked and hurt Jane’s brother and scared Maura. Jane did something kinda silly, but she made sure the bad man couldn’t hurt anyone else.

When she woke up in the hospital, the most beautiful woman in all the world was sitting by her bedside, holding her hand. Jane knew then that she loved Maura with all of her heart.

Maura ________________________________________________.

[News clipping about the shooting]

\---

It took a few weeks, but Jane eventually got her head out of her ass and told Maura how she felt. Maura said she loved Jane too. Jane was the happiest woman in the world.

Maura ________________________________________________.

[Pic of Jane with a cheesy grin – possibly taken by herself on her cellphone, and therefore missing half her face]

\---

Jane took Maura to the zoo and they started dating. Maura quickly became part of Jane’s crazy family, and Jane grudgingly started to kinda like Maura’s turtle. _______________ (For Maura’s correction.)

[Pic of Jane and Maura in front of the elephant enclosure]

\---

Jane and Maura still laughed together and drank together. They still worked together and played together. And sleeping together got a whole lot more fun. And Jane soon discovered that she wanted to be with Maura forever.

So, on Maura’s birthday, Jane wrote Maura a silly story and asked Maura to marry her.

Maura said __________ . 


End file.
